TOPIC: A person who knowingly commits a crime has broken the social contract and should not retain any civil rights or the right to benefit from his or her own labor.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based.

The word crime brings to our mind things like rape, murder, robbery, smuggling etc. But what really is crime? What are its boundaries? Different countries rate crime differently. For example in countries like the US and UK even a teacher or parent rasing their hand on a child to correct or scold them can be considered wrong. Soem years ago a priest was accused of child molestation for kepping a girl child on has lap. In countries more traditional where the child protection rights activist are not co many such things wouldnt have been considered crime.

It is the leagal system in every country that decides whther an act is a crime or not. Whether a crime is commited knowingly or unknowingly, the level of physical or emotional damage to the victim is the same. Besides there is no way we can judge whether the perpetrator was aware or not. they may pretend. there are times when some ppl r capable of cheating the lie detector test also.

Sometimes they run a background check and have lie detector tests. But there are some criminals who can cheat those tests also. So it is very difficult to sift out the mentally unstable(the ones who did it unintentionally) from the rest.

What the judiciary can do is investigate the life of the criminal right from childhood. Some may have medical certificates for mental disorders. With others this behaviour could have stemmed from a troubled childhood/ past. Those were times when such criminals were innocent and deserved intervention which dint come. Hence today it is not fair for us to decide. We are not god and opur judgement will never be perfect.judge.

When we talk about retaining civil rights, which ones are being referred to? If they are basic necessities, they cannot be stalled. If it is protection of their life from another person committing a crime against them , true people will feel that they dont deserve consideration but then it will only encouraging new criminals.

With regard to benefiting from labour,- if they dont work and earn then anyway the government has to fend for them when it comes to food clothing and shelter. They will be kept in prisons and their maintainence in the prison is paid for by the state. So they Should not get monetary benefits and life with free will but they should be made to work in the prison in exchange for being taken care of while they are serving their term there. Otherwise it is like they are living there free-which is muich easier than the life of the common man also.

In conclusion, all we can do is restrict their benefits. But taking away all their civil rights and basic neccesities is not feasible. They must get renumeration in kind if not in cash only for their basic necessties.